City larviciding ramps up due to large amounts of standing water

Winnipeg's larviciding crews will be working 18-hour days over the next week to combat what could be a huge emergence of mosquitoes.

Ken Nawolsky, the city's insect control branch superintendent, said the weekend rains have revived mosquito eggs that have laid dormant for the past three to five years.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Many more mosquitoes are soon expected to descend upon Winnipeg, thanks in part to last weekend's rain.

"We're putting all our forces out there," Nawolsky told reporters at a noon-hour news conference. "We're trying to do our best and fight this battle that we have with this significant amount of rain."

Nawolsky said there is a large amount of standing water on private property, adding property owners need to drain the water or treat it to prevent the emergence of mosquitoes.

"The eggs that have laid dormant for the last three to five years have hatched in the water because of the significant amount of rainfall," Nawolsky said.

High winds and low cloud cover today grounded the four helicopters the city uses in its larviciding program, he said, but ground crews are busy at work.

The helicopters carry out 75 per cent of the larviciding treatment.

Nawolsky said the weekend rain hit Winnipeg at the end of the three-week life cycle of the season's first mosquito outbreak and created conditions that could see a large mosquito infestation unleashed on the city.

Nawolsky said he went to a friend's yard in Charleswood that was rife with standing water, where he scooped out a small container of surface water that contained more than 200 mosquito larvae, adding he estimated there were more than 5,000 larvae in that backyard.

"These eggs will emerge in seven to 10 days, weather dependent," he said. "We need people's co-operation in helping to look for standing water sites.

"If we get sites like this that aren't being treated, it will have a significant impact on the emergence."

The city will need perfect weather conditions — low winds, temperatures in the low 20s, no rain — to conduct the ideal larviciding effort.

With rain in the forecast for Thursday, he said areas that have been larvicided will have to be redone if the city gets too much rain that dilutes the larviciding product.

"We’re hoping the rain stops and doesn’t dilute the biological product we’ve already put out there."Nawolsky said property owners should check their yards for standing water that collects in low-lying areas, eavestroughs, and empty containers.

The water should be emptied or drained, he said, and if that’s not possible, then the owners should treat the water with a biological larvicide product.

If homeowners are unable to treat the standing water themselves, Nawolsky said they should contact 311 and city crews will treat the water for them.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca

Skeeter Facts

Mosquito eggs can remain dormant in the soil for up to seven years and then be revived through contact with surface ground water.

What is the city doing now?

Conducting an extensive larviciding program, with a staff of 160 employees working 18 hour days treating standing water in 30,000 hectares of potential larval development sites.

When will fogging begin?

According to the city’s environmental licence, fogging of adult nuisance mosquitoes can only start after two consecutive nights with city-wide average trap counts of at least 25, with a trap count of 100 or higher in one or more quadrants.

As of Tuesday, the city-wide average trap count was 9.

How you can help:Check your property for standing water in:

low-lying ground

eavestroughs

empty containers

Empty or drain standing water and cover containers. If you can’t drain the water, the city advises to treat it with a biological larvicide product.

City hall will also treat standing water on your property if you are unable. Call 311 for details.

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